Chapel To St Oswald'S Hospital

The Chapel to St Oswald's Hospital, built between 1873 and 1874 by local architect Henry Rowe, is a notable example of 19th-century architecture. Constructed from red brick with cream-coloured stone dressings, it features a plain clay tile roof and is designed in the Middle Pointed style.

The chapel consists of a 5-bay nave, with the west bay being slightly narrower and lower, separated from the nave by an arch that creates a narthex. There is a small porch on the south side, a semi-circular apse at the east end, and a vestry to the north. The stone detailing includes a chamfered plinth, door and window surrounds, sills, hood moulds, string courses, quoins, copings on the angle buttresses, inter-window buttresses, and gable parapets. The window openings are pointed arches, with a single-light window in the apse, a mullioned 3-light window at the west end, and mullioned 2-light windows on the north and south elevations, all featuring geometrical tracery and quatrefoils. The glazing includes diamond-pane leaded glass, with stained glass in the west window and apse, as well as additional stained glass windows on the north and south sides. The vestry has Caernarvon arch window openings, and there is a small tripartite window at each apex of the nave gable. The south porch and vestry both have pointed arch head plank doors.

Inside, the chapel is simply painted white, showcasing exposed roof trusses and plain pine pews. The altar is framed by a moulded pointed arch that rises from corbelled, triple engaged columns with stiff-leaf capitals, with a similar but smaller arch detail in the west bay. The chapel serves as a focal point for the Almshouse courtyard.